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' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. J. MEISTER.

Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

INVENTOR By W ATTORNEYS I Q Q S w 3 APPARATUS FOR PISTON PROPULSION.

(No Model.)

( L) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. E. J. MEISTER.

APPARATUS FOR PISTON PROPULSION.

No. 472,380. Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

a u i WITNESSES: i l INVENTOH:

v 4 TTORNEXS PATENT OFFICE.

ERYVIN J. MEISTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR PISTON PROPULSION.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 472,380, dated April 5,1892. Application filed November 19, 1891. Serial No. 412,408. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERWIN J. MEISTER, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for PistonPropulsion, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of machinery which isused for propelling vessels by forcing a current of water through thehull of the vessel and ejecting it at the ends; and the object of myinvention is to provide a simple apparatus by means of which the watermay be easily drawn into the water-pipes, and also to provide means forgiving to the Water-pistons an irregular stroke, so that they will haveaquick outstroke, thus enabling the water to be ejected with great forceand comparatively slow recovery, thus preventing excessive suction.

To this end my invention consists in an apparatus the construction ofwhich will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of the apparatus as applied to a vesselwith the strokecontrolling mechanism removed. Fig. 2 is a broken planview showingthe manner in which the pipes project from the vessel, andmore especially the side valves, which provide for lateral movement orsteering. Fig. 3 is an e11- larged longitudinal section of the apparatusembodying my invention, and Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of thesame on the line 4. 4 in Fig. 3.

The vessel is of the usual construction and may be of any approved type,and it is provided with engines or steam-cylinders 11 and 12, (which aresupplied with steam by pipes 13,) which also may be of any usual kind,but which are preferably high and low pressure cylinders. Each cylinderis provided with the usual reciprocating piston 14, the pistonrod 15 ofwhich extends outward through one end of the cylinder in the usual wayand through a cross-head 16, to which it is secured. The cross-head isof the common kind and slides in the usual manner between the slide-bars17. The piston-rod 15 of each steam-cylinderextendslongitudinallythroughthe cross-head, which moves in the slideway formed by the slide-bars 17,and connects with a water-piston 18, which moves in the watercylinder19, the latter connecting with the outlet-pipe 21, and it will beobserved that there are two of these pipes, which are arranged parallelwith each other and which align longitudinally with the cylinders 11 and12. These pipes 21 extend rearwardly through the stern of the vessel andare provided with laterally-extending valves 21, of a common kind, whichmaybe manipulated so that water may be forced out laterally from eitherpipe, so as to effect the steering of the vessel. Each pipe 21 isprovided with a valve 20,which is located on the under side of.

the pipe and adjacent to the water-cylinder 19. The valve comprises acasing 22, afunnelshaped opening 23, leading from the casing through thebottom of the vessels hull, a crossplate 24, arranged transversely inthe bottom of the casing 22, and the usual form of flapvalves 25, whichare pivoted in opposite ends of the casing and which rest, when closed,on the cross-strip 24.

While I have shown a particular form of valve, as described above, I donot claim the valve as my invention, as any valve may be used which willpermit a free inlet of water.

The hull of the vessel will sink into the water in the usual way, and asa consequence the upward pressure of the water will open,

the valves 25, so that the water will flow freely and with considerableforce into the pipes 21. The engines are provided with a common flywheel26. which is mounted between the water-cylinders 19 and is secured to acrankshaft 27, which is mounted on suitable supports 28 and the endcranks 29 of which are oppositely arranged and are journaled in slidingboxes 30, which move in slots 31, produced longitudinally in levers 32,which levers are pivoted at their upper ends, as shown at 33, tosupports 34, and the levers 32 align with the piston-rods 15. Each lever32 is pivoted at its lower end to a link 35, which is shaped,preferably, somewhat like an elbow-lever in order to facilitate itsconnection with the crosshead 16, to which the front end of the link ispivoted. The link 35 consists, essentially,ot two parallel side bars 36,which embrace the upper slide-bar 17 and which terminate at Ice theirfront and lower ends in boxes 37 which are mounted on a transverse shaft38, secured to the cross-head 16. The pistons 14: of the steam cylindersare adapted to work alternately-that is to say, they Will move indifferent directions-and it is essential that two cylinders and pistonsbe used together in order that my invention may be successfully carriedout.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: \Ve will suppose that oneof the pistons 1% is at the extreme front end of its cylinder, as shownin Fig. 3, and in this case the piston of the opposing. cylinder will beat the rear end of the same. In this case the slide-box 30 of one crank29 will be comparatively near to the pivoted end of a lever 32 and theslidebox of the opposite crank will be nearthe free end of its lever. IVhen the slide-box is well up toward the upper end of the lever, as inFig. 3, and the piston ll advances, it will be seen that the piston willreach the limit of its stroke while the crank 29 is making aboutone-third of a revolution, and consequently the water-piston 18 will bemoved very quickly in the water-cylinder l9 and the Water in the pipe 21will be ejected with great force; but the return stroke of the pistonwill be comparatively slow, as it will have to be made while the crank29 is making the other twothirds of its revolution. It is obvious that asingle piston connected up in this way could not work successfully; butby using two engines one serves to balance the other and the (lead pointor center is successfully passed In Fig. l I have shown a singlecylinder 39, having double pistons and piston-rods, which connect with across-head 40, having pistonrods 4:1, which are adapted to operateWaterpistons like those already described and force water through thepipes 21, which pipes are exactly similar to the pipes 21 and extend tothe bow of the vessel instead of to the stern. These pipes may be,however, provided with the driving and regulating mechanism dc scribedabove, and in practice this mechanism is preferably employed.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent-- 1. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, the stroke-regulating mechanism comprising a doublecrank-shaft, slotted levers pivoted above the cranks, sliding boxespivoted to the cranks and adapted to slide in the levers, and operativeconnections between the free ends of the levers and the piston-rods ofthe engines, substantially as described.

2. The combinatiolnwith the pair of engines having alternatingpistons,ota com mon crankshaft for the engines, the shaft havingoppositely-arranged cranks thereon, slotted levers pivoted above thecranks and having sliding boxes therein, which form the crank-bcarin gs,and link connections between the levers and the engine piston-rods,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the engines having alternating pistons andhaving sliding cross-heads connected with the piston-rods, of a commoncrank-shaft for the engines, levers pivoted above the cranks of theshafts and provided with longitudinal slots, bearingboxes for thecranks, said boxes beingheld to slide in the levers, and links pivotedto the levers and to the crossheads, substantially as described.

ERWIN J. MEIS'IER.

Witnesses:

WARREN l HUTGHINSON, EDGAR TATE.

